Sterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA. An annual event, the Sterling Fair, is a popular place to be in early to mid-September. There are carnival games and rides, as well as patron-submitted exhibits and art works, a petting zoo, contests, oxen pulls, a pancake breakfast held by the Sterling Chocksett Club, live music performance, a wide array of food options, and the popular hot air balloon rides. A close proximity to Wachusett Mountain (state forest and ski area) and Leominster State Forest gives Sterling plenty of outdoor adventure.
Davis Farmland a seasonal petting zoo for children and Davis Mega Maze, New England's only world class adventure cornfield maze. Sholan Park located on Lake Waushacum has a beach area with a dock for swimming. It also has grills for cookouts, a sand volleyball court, and a boat ramp.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.6 square miles (82 km2), of which 30.5 square miles (79 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), or 3.42%, is water. Interstate 190 cuts Sterling in half. Sterling is also crossed by Massachusetts Route 12, Massachusetts Route 62, Massachusetts Route 140, and Massachusetts Route 110. Sterling is bordered by Leominster to the north, West Boylston to the south, Princeton and Holden to the west, Lancaster to the northeast, and Clinton and Boylston to the southeast. Sterling borders Boylston on the Wachusett Reservoir.

As of the census of 2000, there were 7,257 people, 2,573 households, and 2,068 families residing in the town. The population density was 237.7 people per square mile (91.8/kmē). There were 2,637 housing units at an average density of 86.4 per square mile (33.4/kmē).